Calgary’s social worker for drug-addicted youth found guilty of sexual assault

A former youth counselor who worked with at-risk teenagers at a closed rehab facility was found guilty Friday of sexual assault and battery of a girl in her care.

Jessica Ossais, 29, worked as an addiction counselor in the PChAD (Protection of Children Abusing Drugs) program in 2019.

Under Alberta law, parents whose children are struggling with substance abuse issues can apply to the court for a PChAD Protection Order, which allows the child to be placed in a closed rehabilitation facility for up to 15 days, where they will receive counseling and participate in other programs.

Judge Heather Lamoureux found Ossais guilty of attacking the teenager in a Lethbridge hotel room in 2019.

The victim was 17 years old at the time of the attack. Her identity is protected by a publication ban.

In 2019, the teenager was accepted into the program twice – in February and again in April.

Robbery at a hotel in Lethbridge

Ossais was assigned as a social worker for the girl and was tasked with helping her cope with her daily routine and tasks.

The 21-year-old testified that Ossais became flirtatious during her first assignment at PChAD and asked to exchange contact information so they could stay in touch after the teen left the program in February 2019.

The witness said Ossais travelled to Lethbridge on March 22, 2019, to meet with her one afternoon after she was released from the program.

The two spent the night together at a local hotel and engaged in sexual acts, according to the victim’s testimony in court in June.

Mother found inappropriate message

In her defense statement, Ossais denied sexual contact in the hotel and told the court that she met the teenager because she feared she would relapse into drug use.

But Lamoureux sided with the plaintiff.

The girl, who had started using drugs again, returned to the PChAD program shortly after the hotel room incident.

Back at the facility, staff became concerned about Ossais’ relationship with the teenager, whose mother had since found an Instagram message that she considered “unacceptable and unethical.”

But when the girl was questioned by police in 2019, she said she was “trying to protect Ossais” at the time and denied the nature of the relationship.

The victim says it was only after her release that she realized that what had happened to her was wrong.

Lamoureux will hear sentencing submissions from defense attorney James Hawkins and prosecutor Tiffany Dwyer later this year.